Twisted Game
by SpobyIsMyShip
Summary: -A pushes Spencer to break up with Toby, causing her to reunite with Wren. As -A pushes all the girls, especially Spencer, to a breaking point, will Spencer ever be able to handle her life again? Spoby vs. Wrencer triangle. And Jakeria
1. 1: The Break Up

1: The Break Up

She pressed her lips even harder against Toby's, with a passionate friction forming. Her arms were looped around his neck, and his hands were holding her waist firmly. Ever since their first kiss at the motel, they had formed a serious relationship, with undeniable love for each other. She never wanted to let him go. Unfortunately, their regular lip-smacking session was interrupted by the buzz of her phone. She prayed that it was just one of her friends, and not the notorious stalker...

Her lips glided against Toby's cheek right before she pulled back to check her phone. The pit of her stomach was feeling weird. She had a feeling that it was her stalker, and not just one of her friends. Her friends were busy tonight. Aria was with Ezra, Emily was with Paige, and Hanna was with Caleb. It's not like they would be needing anything tonight... except maybe some condoms. Well, not Emily...

Toby waited patiently as her eyes read the text message. Her stomach dropped. This wasn't happening. She was nearly about to faint. Sweat was beginning to trickle down her body. All she wanted was for -A to take back this text message that he/she/it had sent! -A had a way of taking everything in her life away... and now -A was taking away the person she loved, too!?

_Text message from BLOCKED ID_: _Break up with your little Prince Charming or your BFFs won't make it to the end of the night. Xoxo! Kisses, -A_

He stared at her nervously. She didn't look too well, either. Her eyes were bugging out of her sockets, and she looked like she was going to pass out. He wrapped his arm around her and rubbed her back. Was somebody bothering her? He didn't know. He didn't know ANYTHING about -A. She was afraid that if she clued him in, -A would target him even more. She loved him, but she couldn't let her best friends die because of this. She would need to find another way to be with him.

He tried to look her in the eyes, "Look at me, Spence! Talk to me, please. You're scaring me... a lot. Is someone bothering you? I promise I'll take care of it. Who's bothering you, Spence? We can go over there right now and stop it!"

She shook her head, "Toby, it isn't that simple... I can't believe I'm saying this... but Toby, it's over. I'm breaking up with you."

Now HIS eyes were bugging out of his sockets. "What? Why?" He demanded. "Tell me why! I have to know why, Spencer! I thought things were going great between us! One minute we're exchanging spit and sucking face, and the next thing I know, you're breaking up with me? I love you! Whatever happened, I can fix it! Just tell me!"

She shook her head again, "Toby. I love you. But there's NOTHING you can do to fix it. Do me a favor and stay the hell out of this, and away from me! I have to go. Good night!"

He was about to plead for an explanation again, but Spencer jogged right out of his house, running as fast as she could. That's when she bumped into a familiar face. He smiled brightly as he saw the girl. He didn't seem to realize that she was upset.

He smiled and waved, "Spencer! What a coincidence that we're both in town. It's been awhile, hasn't it?" Then he suddenly changed his expression to concern, "Is everything alright? Are YOU alright, Spencer?"

"Wren." She breathed. "No. Nothing is alright, Wren."


	2. 2: Emergency Calling

Chapter 2: Emergency Calling

He looked at her with great concern on his face. "Allow me to drive you back to my place," he offered, trying his hardest to charm her with his British accent. "I want to be your shoulder tonight, Spencer. I promise to help you through whatever you're going through. When we get back to my place, you can talk to me. You can tell me anything. I'll always be there for you, through thick and thin."

She nodded weakly, tears streaming down her face. Why did -A have to do this to her? She knew Wren probably still liked her, but she didn't care; she really needed a shoulder to cry on tonight, and Wren was here tonight. She needed to take whoever's shoulder she could get. He opened his car door for her, and allowed her to sit inside. He started driving them back to his apartment.

Charmingly, he opened the door for her. She stepped inside, sniffling. Wren put his hands on her shoulders, and rubbed her arms soothingly to try to calm her down from crying. He sat down next to her on the couch in his apartment.

He whispered, "Talk to me. If you need anything tonight, I'm going to be here for you. Every second... I'll be by your side."

"I'm glad I have someone on my side," she said, sniffling.

"Yes, I am on your side." Wren nodded, smiling at her. "Spencer, I'm going to go to my bedroom to change into my pajamas. Stay put, will you?"

"I will." She said.

Wren smiled again before getting up from the couch. He walked to his bedroom, leaving Spencer alone there. Once he left, her phone buzzed again. She hoped it wasn't -A. Hadn't -A caused ENOUGH drama tonight?

_Text message from BLOCKED ID: Just because I promised to let your BFFs make it to the end of the night, doesn't mean I promised to not have a little fun with them. You'll see what I mean. Xoxo. Kisses, -A_

She sighed. What if her friends were in danger? She didn't have time to warn them or anything, because Wren came back from his bedroom in seconds. He sat down next to Spencer, and didn't ask her for permission; he just went for it... and he pressed his lips against hers. Surprising even to herself, she kissed him back. It felt good to try to get Toby off of her mind tonight. Maybe Wren was just what she needed.

Wren intended to take it further than just kissing. His hands began to toy with the hem of her shirt, and he was about to pull it over her head. She was surprised that she had gone from making out with Toby to making out with Wren, all one night.

Maybe doing this with Wren was a bad idea. She had her first time with Toby, so it wasn't like she was a virgin. But she had only done it one time with Toby, so she wasn't sure of what to do right now. For now, she just kissed him back. She didn't see any reason why she SHOULDN'T have sex with Wren, right? He was there for her, so she might as well go all the way with him.

He pulled Spencer's shirt over her head, leaving her in her bra. He continued to kiss her really hard, not wanting to pull back at all. Spencer wasn't certain she was fully ready, as her break up was barely 20 minutes ago. But heck, she was hurting. She didn't know what to do, and she felt like sex with Wren MIGHT take her mind of the break up. To most people, it was stupid, but it made sense to Spencer. Her mind had been screwed over by A.

Before they could go any further, Wren's phone rang. He politely said, "Excuse me for a second, Spencer. It's the hospital. I have to take this. There's probably a patient in need of a doctor or something."

"Hello?"

"Yes. This is the Rosewood Hospital. Dr. Wren Kingston, we need you down at the hospital as soon as possible. Patient Emily Fields is in need of serious help."

"Say no more. I'm on my way."

She looked over to Wren in confusion.

He sighed and said, "We might have to pick this up some other time... Your friend Emily Fields... she's been injured. She's at the hospital. I don't know what happened to her, but it was quite an urgent call. She's your friend, so I was thinking that you would want to come along with me to the hospital."

She tried to hold back her tears, "Emily's hurt?"


	3. 3: ShAttered

I like Jakeria better, so Ezria WILL break up eventually

3: Sh**A**ttered

Wren and Spencer rushed down to the hospital. Wren had to get to work and deal with Emily's injury, and Spencer had to be there for her friend. She quickly sent out, 'SOS' texts to Hanna and Aria, alerting them to come to the hospital.

"Emily!" Spencer screamed as she rushed past Wren and tried to get into Emily's hospital room. A worker at the hospital stopped her before she could get inside.

"Who are you?" The woman asked sternly. "Only doctors treating the patient are allowed access inside of the patient's room."

Wren stepped up and said, "Jane, I can take it from here. She's with me, and so are her friends." Hanna and Aria sighed in relief as they showed up. They gave Spencer a hug before walking into the hospital room. Toby suddenly popped up behind them.

"Toby?" Spencer's eyes widened.

"You're here!" Toby bit his lip. "Thank god."

"Quiet down, please." Wren said. Everyone stared at Emily's unconscious and scarred body. "Your friend seems to have wounds from glass penetrating into her skin. One of the glass shards may have cut an artery, but luckily she got here in time, and my co-worker stitched it all up. She will be fine, but she's seriously injured. When she wakes up, we'll try to interrogate her and find out what happened. Now, I'm going to need you all to step out, because I have to stitch up a few of the more minor wounds."

They all nodded in understanding before heading out of the room. Spencer, Aria, and Hanna were trying not to cry. They held on to each other tightly, hoping that Emily would be alright. They were so thankful that her cut artery had been stitched up just in time! They didn't know what they would have done if they lost her. Emily was one of their best friends!

"I bet A did this." Hanna muttered.

"He or she did." Spencer confirmed. "I got the text. A threatened me... and I feel like I could have saved Emily, but I didn't. This is all my fault!"

"It's not your fault." Aria said, rubbing the brunette's back. "Out of curiosity, what did the text from A even say?"

"First they told me to break up with Toby or they'd hurt one of you guys, and you wouldn't make it to the end of the night and-" Spencer began.

"Don't tell me you picked your boyfriend over Emily!" Hanna's eyes widened.

"I would never!" She crossed her arms. "I broke up with Toby, but A didn't make any promises not to hurt Emily, so he or she hurt her anyways. You actually think I would let Emily get hurt because of me being selfish?"

"Love makes people do crazy things." Hanna began. "Wait, Toby and you broke up!?"

"I had to, Hanna! It was either one of your lives, or the relationship, and I chose the lives. I wouldn't let any of you guys die because of me." She sighed.

"Spence, we're so sorry!" Aria said. "Everything will get better."

"Will it, Aria? _Will it_?" Spencer harshly asked, beginning to sob. "A has taken EVERYTHING from me, and I'm not willing to lose you guys, too!"

"We're not going to leave you, Spence. I know your break up was probably hard on you, but we're not going to leave you. We love you." Aria comforted.

"Aria, you don't know that! Look how close A got to Emily tonight." She sobbed.

"If anything, you SAVED Emily's life!" Hanna told her. "If you hadn't broken up with him, then Emily might have died tonight. You're the reason she'll still be able to breathe. You're so strong to do this. If A asked me to break up with Caleb, I don't know if I would have been as strong as you were tonight, Spence."

Interrupting Hanna and Aria, Toby walked up to the girls. He took Spencer's hand and pulled her to a secluded corner of the hospital, against her protest.

"What happened to Emily?" He asked.

"If I knew, I would tell you!" She yelled.

"I don't think you would! You won't even tell me why you're breaking up with ME." He angrily said.

"I did it FOR Emily! You may not understand how, and I don't know if I'll ever be able to tell you, but I did it because I had to do it for her!" She vaguely said.

"You're going to make me stand here and watch you tell me that there's something I'm not supposed to know!?" Toby's eyes widened. "I thought I made it clear that I loved you! I thought you trusted me!"

"I do. But I can't tell you, and that's for YOUR own safety." She said.

"Fine. I don't care about all this stuff you can't tell me about, I care about you. I don't care if you can't explain anything to me; all I want is to be that guy who gets to comfort you and kiss you and... I love you! I never can stop loving you!"

"I'm sorry, Toby. You can't be that guy in my life." She shook her head, trying not to cry. "I mean, I want you to be, but you just can't be him!"

"Why not!?" He demanded an answer. "You can tell me anything!"

"But I can't tell you this..." she breathed. "I have to go, Toby."

She walked back to Hanna and Aria, leaving her now ex-boyfriend very upset and hurt.

"I'm sorry you had to do that, honey." Hanna comforted.

"It was for Emily's sake." Aria reminded her.

"I just wish that I could tell him everything!" Spencer sobbed.

"I know you do, but-" Aria began, when all three of their phones buzzed.

They exchanged glances. This had to be an A text! Damn it... They thought A had caused plenty enough damage tonight! What more did this villain want?

Text message from BLOCKED ID:

Looks like my girl Spence shattered Toby's heart. Just like that, I can sh**A**tter all of your bones. Don't let my broken glass get under your skin like poor Em, huh? Xoxo! Kisses, -A


	4. 4: Fighting For You

4: Fighting For You

Aria and Hanna had left the hospital. Wren had told them to check back on Emily's status tomorrow. Spencer had decided to wait for Wren, since she was planning on crashing at his place tonight. She was also surprised to see that Toby hadn't left the hospital yet. Why was he even waiting?

"Spencer," he forcefully said, grabbing her arm. "I'm sorry for being rough on you right now, but I'm just confused and so hurt. Why are you doing this to me? Just tell me one thing: did you do it for him? The doctor guy... Are you seeing him again?"

"I don't exactly know where Wren and I are, but no, I didn't break up with you for him. I broke up with you for Emily. If I didn't, then she'd be dead right now. I can't tell you why, so you need to stop asking! I can't keep answering your questions, Toby! It isn't safe yet!" Spencer told him.

"It isn't safe now?" Toby angrily asked. "Okay, _Spencer_. If it's not safe now, then when _will_ it be safe to tell me anything? You always tell me that it's not safe yet, and I have patiently been waiting, only for you to break up with me and tell me it's still not safe to tell me anything! I feel like you know more about me than I know about you!"

She sighed, "I'm sorry, Toby, I just can't do this. You're right, I have always been a terrible girlfriend, and I can probably never tell you why. I don't deserve to be with you. You deserve to be with someone who can be honest with you, because you're a really amazing and sweet guy... but I can't be that girl in your life. I just can't be honest with you!"

"Then don't be honest with me," he quietly said. "I told you earlier that you don't have to tell me anything. I just want to be with you. I would rather never know ANYTHING than let you walk away from me like this! I told you I love you!"

Spencer saw Wren walking out of Emily's hospital room. She shook her head and said to Toby, "It doesn't matter. We can't be together. It just isn't safe. You'll have to find someone else who can be honest with you and not drag you into some crazy mess. Now I have to go."

"But I only want you!" Toby called after her. "Spencer! I love you! I freaking love you so much! Please come back! I'm begging you!"

She kept walking, and tried not to let the tears fall. She made her way over to Wren. She turned back to see that Toby had left the hospital. That made her want to cry even more, but she just turned back to the doctor. She had another amazing guy in her life, and -A hadn't seemed to care at all that she was beginning to see him, so she wondered if this relationship with Wren might actually work out!

"Hey there!" Spencer exclaimed, smiling. "How's Emily doing?"

"She is alright," Wren responded, scanning his clip board. "I think a few days of rest would be good for her. The wounds have been stitched up, and she should possibly be ready to go home in one to two days. Mr. and Mrs. Fields are very concerned. If you see them, tell them that Emily will be alright."

"I will," Spencer said. "But do you want to head back over to your place? Maybe we can pick up where we left off before you got that call..."

Wren chuckled, "Sweetheart, I would love to, but... I have some more patients to deal with. You can head back to my place and get comfortable again. After a few more hours, I'll be back. I hope you don't mind."

"No, I don't mind," she said, biting her lip. "Yeah, you go ahead, Mister Doctor! Save some lives tonight." She grinned at him and said, "I'll be at your place."

"Wonderful," Wren said, smiling. "I'll see you at my place later, sweetheart."

She went back to Wren's place and waited for a few hours. She was just texting Hanna and Aria about her concern for Emily, and their latest worries about -A, but there was still no sign of Wren. She wanted to call Toby and crash with him, but she knew -A wouldn't accept that.

Her parents were on a business trip, and Melissa was in London. So nobody was at home! She didn't want to be home alone again. Every time she was alone, -A broke in and did something bad. She didnt want to disturb Aria and Ezra, or Hanna and Caleb, so she thought about the idea of going to Toby's place. It was better than the horrors of being at home. That thought sent shivers down her spine.

Spencer was done waiting now! She grabbed a pen from Wren's desk, and also a sticky note, then wrote a message telling him that she left because she had waited too long. She decided that she COULD stay with Toby, right? It's not like she was going to start dating Toby again. She ran to the Brew and to his loft, and knocked on the door. His eyes widened when he saw Spencer. She liked the sight, though. He was shirtless and in only his pajama pants.

"Spencer?" Toby choked. "What are you doing here?"

"I... I got scared... and Wren wasn't home... and I need a place to stay tonight. But I get it if you don't want me to crash here after what I did to you tonight." She breathed.

"No, it's fine," Toby said. "You can stay here as long as you need. I can tell that this doesn't mean anything about our relationship, does it?"

"Look, I want to tell you, but I can't... not yet. I'll do whatever it takes for it to be safe for me to tell you everything, but for now, you'll just have to trust me, and we can only be friends." Spencer told him. "But thank you so much for letting me stay here. If I could kiss you, I would. But I can't."

Toby was confused. "How am I supposed to be friends with you, Spence? I don't know if I can handle it... Not while I'm in love with you!"

"I love you too." She whispered.

"Then I don't understand why I can't be your boyfriend anymore." Toby said.

"I want you to be my boyfriend, but you can't be!" Spencer sighed. "I need to go to bed, Toby. Please, just give me some time..."

_"Fine. But I'll never stop fighting for you." Toby declared._


	5. 5: Girlfriend

5: Girlfriend

Spencer had spent a long and awkward night at Toby'a loft. She was so used to cuddling up to him, and not sleeping at all throughout the night. Usually, clothes would be piling up on the floor, and their lips would never separate... not even for a single second. But tonight, all she did was sleep. He didn't say much, and she wasn't even wondering why. She had been a bitch to him all night, so he probably didn't even want her back after all the times she said she can't tell him the secret thing that made her break up with him.

Of course, Toby was a gentleman. She found it so hard to resist him. He cooked her breakfast before she was about to leave, and offered her one of his shirts as a change of clothes. She gladly accepted, loving the feeling of the cottony material that smelled like his cologne against her skin. It reminded her of how much she loved him. She just wished that -A would back off and let her date who she wanted to!

After putting Toby's shirt on and enjoying his lovely breakfast, she headed out. It was so weird not to give him a goodbye kiss before leaving. She wished she could, but ShE didn't. She didn't need Emily or the other girls to get anymore hurt than they already were... Especially Emily.

When she left Toby's loft, she saw Wren's car. She quickly ran up to his car, wanting to explain to him about leaving last night. She didn't want that hunky and charming Brit to be disappointed that she bailed on him. After all, she was tired of waiting because of HIM. It wasn't exactly her fault, right? Right!

"Wren!" Spencer called to him. He smiled as he walked up to her.

"Oh, hello sweetheart." Wren greeted, smiling.

"I'm sorry about leaving last night." She apologized.

"Spencer, it is alright! I kept you waiting. I got so busy with... Work." Wren said, biting his lip.

"Speaking of the hospital... How's Emily doing?" Spencer asked.

"She is getting better," Wren responded. "You can visit her tonight, if you want."

"I'd love to," Spencer said, smiling.

"Spencer. Can I ask you something important?" Wren looked at her nervously.

"Ask away," she smiled.

"Would you be my girlfriend?" Wren asked nervously. "I want to be in your life, as more than a friend. I can take you out for coffee or tea... Or whatever you want. I want to make you feel special. So what do you say?"

She was flattered, but a bit hesitant. Then she thought that maybe she had a chance of being with Wren! -A hadn't stopped her from being with him just yet, so this could be her chance. Plus, what's not to love about Wren. He's smart, has a great job, is charming, sweet, caring, loving, incredibly cute... He's like a dream boyfriend!

"I would love to," she agreed.

"You'll be my girlfriend?" He grinned.

"Yes, Wren." She said, chuckling at him.

"Excellent!" Wren exclaimed. "We can go out on a first real date very soon. I'll take you wherever you'd like to go! I promise, it will be fantastic! Would you like to go out now?"

She was about to respond, but her phone buzzed. Aria had texted her.

Text Message from ARIA MONTGOMERY: Hanna's hurt! Marin house, ASAP! -Aria

"Wren! I'm sorry, now's not the time. Aria texted. There's a situation with Hanna, and I need to like RIGHT NOW." Spencer told him. "Maybe we can go out tonight. Call me!"

"Oh, of course. Take care. I will." Wren nodded.

The brunette rushed to Hanna's house. The door was unlocked, so she let herself in. There was Aria, kneeling on the floor next to a crying Hanna, who's legs were also bleeding.

"Hanna!" Spencer screamed as she kneeled next to Aria. "What the hell happened?"

"I was heading home from Caleb's house, and -A cut my tires. Then I went home, and this morning, some other black hoodie threw a freaking knife at me! Aria, have you called 911!?" Hanna cried.

"They're on their way, Han! Just stay with us!" Aria pleaded. "The injury isn't too bad. There's just some cuts on her legs."

"-A broke into my fucking house!" Hanna yelled.

"What's with -A? First Emily, and now Hanna?" Spencer sighed.

"Please don't say that like one of us is next..." Aria muttered.

"I think we are," Spencer sadly said. "The last thing I need is somebody breaking into my house and chopping my guts up."

"Spence, that's disgusting! Shut up!" Hanna closed her eyes. "Where the hell are any paramedics or doctors?"

"Wren's right down the street! Do you want me to get him?" Spencer asked.

"I'll take anyone I can get!" Hanna pleaded.

"I'll go get him." Spencer said.

She jogged over to Wren's apartment.

"Back already? Is your friend Hanna alright?" Wren asked.

"No, she's not. Wren, we need your help. Please, hurry. Hanna's in serious pain," Spencer said.

"We have no time to lose, then!" Wren said.

They rushed back to Hanna's house.

"My, luckily no arteries were cut, so the blood flow is minimal. It's nothing too serious." Wren said. "A few wounds, though. I told the paramedics not to come, because I think I can handle this. I have my first aid kit."

"She'll be fine, right?" Aria asked in concern.

"Yes, she's fine." Wren chuckled. "It's NOTHING compared to your friend Emily's injury."

"What about that fucking BITCH that came and attacked me!?" Hanna demanded.

"You'll have to take that to the police..." Wren sighed. "Miss Hanna, I can't help you with the culprit. The chances of discovering the culprit are very minimal, so I wouldn't waste your time with a police report, anyways. I doubt that they would even be helpful. It would just be hell for you, with all the questions from the PD."

Hanna sighed, "Damn it!"

"I told Caleb," Aria said. "He's on his way."

"You told Caleb!?" Hanna gritted her teeth. "Now Caleb's gonna go all protective boyfriend on me!"

"Caleb? Is he the shaggy haired one?" Wren asked.

Hanna smiled, nodding. "He's a sweet guy."

"I'm sure he is." Wren smiled.

Wren bandaged Hanna's cuts and wounds from the knife -A threw. By the time he finished treating Hanna, Caleb had arrived. Hanna was right: he WAS going to go all protective boyfriend on her.

"Hanna, are you hurt!?" Caleb cried, kneeling on the floor. "Is she fine? Who are you?"

"Dr. Wren Kingston," he introduced, smiling. "I'm a doctor at Rosewood Hospital, and also Spencer's boyfriend. And yes, Hanna is fine. Her wounds are bandaged, and they should heal over time."

"I thought Spencer was dating Toby..." Caleb quietly said. "Whatever. How about their friend Emily? I heard she was in the hospital, but I didn't get a chance to see her."

"Emily Fields? Yes, she'll be fine." Wren said.

"Wren," Aria began! "You worked at Radley, right?"

"Indeed. I've been doing volunteer work there for quite a while." Wren proudly said.

"Do you know who was visiting Mona?" Aria asked. "Mona Vanderwaal..."

"Mona Vanderwaal? I heard she was torturing you poor girls for quite a while. It was all over the news." Wren said.

"Yeah. But do you know anyone who visited her?" Aria asked.

"I do have a visitor's list, but that's classified information." Wren told them. "I would be breaking Radley's code of privacy if I told you."

"Please Wren," Spencer begged. "I'm your girlfriend! Can't you help me out?"

Wren smiled at the thought of Spencer being his girlfriend.

"Okay, I'll tell you... One person I remember visiting that girl Mona for sure was a blonde who knew your friend Alison. Her name was CeCe... _CeCe Drake_." Wren revealed.


	6. 6: Jason's Back

6: Jason's Back

It had been a week since Wren revealed that CeCe Drake was the one visiting Mona at Radley. Emily was taking plenty of rest at home, and Hanna's wounds were getting better. Wren and Spencer's relationship was alright, as -A hadn't sent any threats to their relationship at all, which was quite surprising to the brunette. The girls were looking to find CeCe, but she wasn't in town.

"Jason!?" Aria exclaimed while walking out of the Brew with Hanna and Spencer. "I didn't know he was back in town. He's with CeCe, guys!"

"CeCe must be -A..." Spencer muttered. "Maybe she wasn't out of town all this time. I think she was just hiding out so she could keep attacking us. I can't let Jason cozy up to her like that! She's dangerous, and he's my half brother! I would be a terrible half sister if I let him get close to that demon again."

"Spence, calm down. We don't know aching for sure. CeCe might not even be as guilty as we think she is!" Aria said.

"Not guilty my ass!" Spencer yelled. "She was visiting Mona in Radley, and I remember clearly that Alison got CeCe kicked out of college. She has an axe to grind, and I think she's grinding it on us! She's the perfect suspect to be -A. Everything adds up."

"Spence is right, Aria! Let's pin that bitch down and get some answers!" Hanna agreed. "We've been running from -A too along, and now I have to deal with feeling pain in my legs every time I take a god damn step! If this is CeCe's fault, I want her to pay for what she's done! Thanks to her, I take like twenty times as much time to walk from one destination to another. If she's -A, I want her in jail NOW!"

"And she's the reason our BEST FRIEND is bedridden at home!" Spencer added. "Emily can't swim because of -A. I won't let her get away with making us suffer. If she's the reason I can't be with Toby, then I want her gone, too! Aria, she can't just make our lives a living hell and get away from it. I'm not taking any chances of letting the enemy get away."

"FINE," Aria gave in, sighing. "But please, be gentle with her! Be calm. If she's -A, she's probably dangerous. Calmly ask her questions about visiting Mona in Radley. Don't just be like 'BITCH, ARE YOU -A?'. She'll deny it, and then make our lives a living hell for figuring it out if she really is -A. Maybe we could even ask Jason for some answers. Maybe he knows something about her..."

The three girls made their way over to CeCe and Jason, who were smiling, chatting, and laughing over a cup of coffee outside of the Brew. They were sitting at one of those outdoor tables. They looked pretty happy together. The girls were quite shocked when Jason leaned in to peck CeCe's lips. Were they actually back together? Spencer didn't want her brother getting involved with someone dangerous!

"CeCe!" Spencer called to the blonde.

"Hastings, hey!" CeCe exclaimed. "I just got back from New York. I was just leaving, but what's up?"

"So you were in New York all this time?" Spencer asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Yeah," CeCe said, smiling. "Jason and I were there together for a while, actually. I get the feeling that you're interrogating me, and you don't really care about my travels to New York. So what's up, Hastings? Why do I feel like I'm being questioned by a detective or some crap?"

"You're not... I was just curious," Spencer said.

"Did you hurt Alison!?" Hanna demanded, earning a glare from Jason, Spencer, and Aria.

"Hanna! Way to be blunt!" Aria scolded.

"I'm sorry that I'm tired of waiting for answers! I'm sorry that I'm dying to know who is responsible for making me have to limp around town!" Hanna yelled, crossing her arms, "So tell me CeCe, did you kill Alison?"

"I would never!" CeCe angrily said. "I'm leaving. Thanks for your accusation. I'd love to know what BASTARD informed you about this, but I have to go."

"CeCe," Jason sadly said. "Can I call you later?"

"Uh... We'll talk soon," CeCe muttered. "Goodbye Jason."

CeCe, who was angry with their accusation, stormed over to her car. She got in and zoomed off. She left an angry Jason, who was glaring at them. Especially Hanna...

"Do you want to tell me why you did that, Hanna?" Jason angrily asked, crossing his arms.

"I need to know if she has been hurting us! Emily might be in the freaking hospital because of CeCe, Jason!" Hanna defended herself.

Jason rolled his eyes and sighed, "She didn't hurt anyone, Hanna, and she didn't hurt your friend Emily, either. I should have known coming back to Rosewood was a bad idea... We have been in New York together for a while, so she COULDN'T have hurt Emily or you, Hanna! You need to know when to can your accusations up. Now I have un-drop that bomb you just dropped on her. Thanks a lot."

"Jason, we're sorry!" Aria sighed. "Hanna's just a little blunt... Why were you in New York with her all this time, anyways?"

"Oh, so now am _I_ a suspect of hurting Emily, too?" Jason asked, rolling his eyes. "I don't owe you any answers, but I'm gonna give them to you, anyways. CeCe's my girlfriend again, and we wanted to spend some time together, so we took a trip to New York together so we could have quality time. Have anymore questions?"

"Jason... I don't think you hurt Emily or Hanna, but we think CeCe may be dangerous." Spencer told him.

"Look Spencer, I know we're related and all, but I don't need you looking out for me. I know who I'm getting involved with, and I can handle myself." Jason rolled his eyes. "Maybe you should watch out for the people YOU associate with... like that boyfriend of yours."

"Toby? He wouldn't hurt a fly!" Spencer defensively said.

"Spence... Toby and you broke up." Aria whispered.

"No, not the carpenter, I meant your new boyfriend. He made it pretty clear you two are an item. I was checking on Emily with Hanna's boyfriend Caleb, and he was spreading the word of his new girlfriend." Jason said. "But I know one thing for sure: that Brit is trouble. I knew it from the start. What's his name? Wren? Yeah, Wren. I don't know wha... but something's wrong with him."

"Jason, nothing's wrong with Wren!" Spencer yelled.

"Trust me when I say it: he is trouble." Jason said. "How do you like it when I accuse somebody you're dating, huh?"

"Wait, you were making the whole 'Wren is trouble' up to get back at me for accusing CeCe?" Spencer asked, annoyed.

"Partially. But that Wren guy definitely seems like some sketchy trouble." Jason said. "Look girls, I have to go fix things with CeCe now... Thanks Hanna... so I'll see you guys around."

"Jason! I'm sorry..." Hanna apologized.

"It's alright. Hopefully she won't be too angry, but it's fine." Jason sighed. "I can handle it."

Jason walked to his car and drove off.

"So if CeCe isn't involved, then who is?" Aria asked.

"Who's to say she isn't?" Spencer questioned.

"Jason was with her the whole summer, Spence!" Hanna said,

"Maybe he's covering for her," Spencer said.

"He wouldn't do that," Aria said. "And what did Jason mean about Wren being sketchy?"

"Aria, he isn't sketchy! Jason was obviously just trying to get back at me for telling him that CeCe is dangerous." Spencer defended.

"What if Aria's right! What if Wren really is dangerous?" Hanna asked.

"He isn't, Hanna! He has nothing to do with Alison's death." Spencer rolled her eyes.

"Whatever. It's been a while since we've checked on Emily," Hanna said. "I think it's time to pay her a visit at the Fields' house, right?"

"Yeah," Aria agreed. "Poor Emily... She can't do the one thing she loves because of -A."

"Same goes for Spencer," Hanna joked. "You get it? She can't DO Toby!" Hanna was laughing crazily while Spencer glared at her.

"Hanna, that's a sensitive subject for her!" Aria said, crossing her arms.

"Excuse me for trying to have a laugh during this dramatic time." Hanna said, rolling her eyes.

"Whatever," Spencer shook it off. "We should really go check on Emily."


	7. 7: Aria's Heartbreak

7: Aria's Heartbreak

The girls headed over to Emily's house, where Pam Fields answered the door. Pam smiled at the girls.

"Are you here to see Emily?" Pam asked.

"Yeah," Aria said. "We heard about her injury, and we've been wanting to make sure she's ok!"

"Um, well she's getting better. You can come in," Pam said. "She's upstairs."

They walked upstairs to Emily's bedroom. The swimmer girl was lying down in her bed. She was watching an old movie on her laptop. She smiled when her friends came in, and paused the movie. She shut her laptop and made space for her friends to sit.

"Hey," Emily said.

"How are you?" Spencer asked.

"I'm getting better." Emily said. "I think it was -A..."

"It was," Hanna confirmed. "We visited you at the hospital, and we got the texts. You could have died, Emily! We're so lucky that they got you to the hospital in time. That Wren doctor guy said your artery got chopped our something. I bet that sucker was spewing blood all over the place!"

"_Hanna_!" Aria scolded. "That's disgusting. Let's keep the talk PG, thank you very much. We need to talk about CeCe Drake. I want to believe Jason, but I just feel like he's covering up for CeCe! I really have a feeling that she might be -A, now that I think about it thoroughly."

"Yeah," Spencer agreed. "Can't we all agree that CeCe is suspicious? She's guilty of something! I have a feeling that she's done something bad to Alison!"

"CeCe Drake?" Emily was confused. "Aria, Spencer, she's our friend. She didn't hurt Ali, okay!? You guys always think everyone is guilty, when they're not. I don't think she did anything. She's been so nice to us all this time. Back when we thought Nate... or Lyndon or whatever... was good, she broke him and Jenna up just because she thought I had a thing for him, even though I liked Paige."

"Emily, CeCe's suspicious. Wren said so," Spencer said. "For all we know, CeCe was only trying to get you to get close with Nate slash Lyndon so that she could lure you into the killer's arms! He killed Maya, and I think that CeCe knew that he did! It all adds up, Em!"

"Can we not talk about this?" Emily asked, sighing. "Spence, Toby's been calling me all this time. He kept asking me to tell him why you're angry with him! What happened between you two? Did you guys break up or something?"

Spencer sighed, "Emily... -A made me break up with Toby."

"Now she's dating that sketchy Brit... Wren!" Hanna said, crossing her arms. "Jason said that he was dangerous!"

Spencer rolled her eyes, "Leave Wren out of this. Jason also said that CeCe isn't guilty at all, but she's obviously guilty of something! People lie, Hanna!"

"Guys, I have to go." Aria said.

"For what?" Hanna asked.

"Ezra wants to talk to me." Aria told them, smiling. "I think he finally realized how neglected I feel because of him putting all his focus on Malcolm!"

"Well, good for you. Go fix things with your man." Hanna encouraged, smiling.

"Thanks, Hanna." Aria smiled and left.

* * *

"Ezra, hey babe!" Aria exclaimed as she walked inside of his apartment, only to see Ezra standing with Malcolm.

"Oh, hey Aria." Ezra said, biting his lip. "I have to tell you something."

"Um, okay. Tell me." Aria said, sitting down on the couch.

"Maggie is going to Seattle awhile with Malcolm, so I think I need to go with him, because he's my son and all." Ezra said.

"How long?" Aria asked.

Just then, Maggie walked inside.

"Maggie?" Aria's eyes widened.

"We're about to go to the airport," Maggie said. "Ezra, have you... told her?"

"Not yet babe, I was about to." Ezra said.

"Babe?" Aria's eyes widened.

"Damn it..." Ezra cursed in a whisper. He spoke normally again and said, "Aria, I'm moving to Seattle to live with Maggie and Malcolm. And... um... I thought it would be convenient if Maggie and I were a family, so... There's no easy way to say this... so... Maggie and I are back together, Aria."

"What!?" Aria shouted. "You're breaking up with me?"

"I'm doing it for the sake of Malcolm!" Ezra defended himself. "Maggie and I thought that it would be easier if he had parents that were together. Plus... I was about to start a teaching job at Rosewood High again, so it would have been awful if we had to be a secret again. This is easier for all of us, Aria!"

"I can't believe you!" Aria shouted.


	8. 8: Coffee Shop Boy

8: Coffee Shop Boy

Aria marched into the Brew. The real thing that was brewing was her anger! How could Ezra break up with her and get back together with that Maggie bitch? That's right, she thought Maggie was a bitch! Maggie got pregnant by Ezra and then ran away just to make a quick buck when Mrs. Fitzgerald offered her the cash. Aria already had coffee this morning with Spencer and Hanna, but she didn't care. She needed another cup of caffeine to keep her body running. Honestly, she was fuming more than feeling like moping all day. She wanted to slap Ezra for what he did, and kick Maggie real hard! She knew it was immature to think that way, but then she wondered if her whole relationship with Ezra was immature. Ezra didn't need a little high school girl to be his girlfriend, he needed a real woman like Maggie, right? Suddenly, she was more angry with herself than at Ezra and Maggie.

But that didn't mean that she wasn't still really pissed!

She brutally told the barista Angie what her order was. She grabbed her coffee from poor Angie's hands and began storming off to sit at the couches...but then she bumped into a rock hard chest. This only made her angrier. Not only had she got dumped, but some douche bag had just rammed into her and spilled his coffee on her shoes! She was so annoyed with the entire freaking world!

"Watch where you're going, douch-" she began to hiss, but then she looked up at the tall young man. Her hazel eyes sparkled when she saw him. He had a little bit of stubble, and nice brown hair. His eyes were also hazel. He was a _hunk_. From the way it felt to bump into him, she knew that he had some chiseled chest underneath that shirt.

"Oh," he bit his lip. "I'm sorry. My bad! Let me clean you up."

He grabbed some napkins from the counter and rubbed the coffee off of her shoes. Luckily, they were waterproof boots, so the coffee came right off easily.

"N-no," Aria nervously said. "It was my bad, too. Damn me! I'm such a klutz sometimes..."

He chuckled. This girl was cute!

"I'm Jake," the guy said, sticking a hand out to shake hers.

"Aria," she smiled and shook his hand. "I haven't seen you around town before! Are you new or something?"

The Jake guy nodded his head and said, "Yeah, I just moved here for a job. I was offered a job as a self defense and martial arts instructor at that new training place. You should check it out if you want. I start teaching lessons there this Monday, if you wanna come see me there or something..."

Aria wasn't into self defense and fighting, but seeing Jake shirtless or just getting to spend more time with him was a huge plus for her! She was definitely going to hang there some time. She didn't have to worry about dumb Ezra, since he would be off in Seattle, happily making out with Maggie for 'Malcolm's sake'...

"Oh, I've seen flyers for that new place all over town!" Aria exclaimed. "Um, I'll come check it out this Monday after school... _Jake_."

"Great! I hope you're not just saying that, because I'm really looking forward to seeing you there," Jake said, flashing her a smile. He had pearly white teeth- a million dollar smile! "It would suck if you were gonna blow me off all along." He chuckled. "So, be there if you want. I would love if you came by."

"Blow _you_ off?" Aria laughed like it was crazy. "No way, Jake! I will definitely be there. Not only do I want to see you in action, but I also want to see if I can pick up a few moves myself, you know...?"

"I could teach you, if you want," Jake said, grinning. "Aria, you know you don't have to pretend to be interested in my martial arts stuff, right? You seem like a great girl, and we don't need to have this fighting thing in common. If you want to just hang out and go get some coffee some day, that's cool, too."

"N-no!" Aria shook her head. She wasn't lying. She thought that some self defense would be good to protect her from the villainous -A. "I'm not kidding. Sometimes this town feels... Unsafe. I was thinking that if I had some skills in fighting, maybe I could avoid assault or something. But I really want to go. We could always also grab some coffee some other day...if you want."

"Come by Monday," Jake nodded. "We can come by here again and get some coffee afterwards, if you're still interested in hanging out."

* * *

"Ezra broke up with me," Aria announced.

"Oh my god!" Spencer said, rubbing the tiny girl's back. "I guess I'm not the only one going through heartbreak then, right?"

"I guess, but it's not all bad for me!" Aria exclaimed.

"What do you mean?" Hanna asked.

"I met this cute guy named Jake at the coffee shop, and we have plans on Monday!" Aria happily announced.

"That's great!" Spencer said, smiling. She looked down at her phone.

"Spence, what's going on?" Hanna asked. "Is -A bothering you again?"

"No, it's Toby. He wants to meet me at the Apple Rose Grille in five minutes..." Spencer said, biting her lip.

Aria and Hanna exchanged glances.

"I thought you were with Wren now." Aria said.

"Not only that, but aren't you and Toby broken up?" Hanna asked.

Aria rolled her eyes, "Hanna, if she's with Wren, that means that she and Toby are broken up. It's implied!"

"Not necessarily," Hanna said. "What if she was cheating on Toby?"

"I'm not, Hanna!" Spencer rolled her eyes. "-A made me break up with him."

"Well I'm advising you to go," Hanna said.

"You're just saying that because Jason said that Wren's sketchy." Spencer said, rolling her eyes.

"Yeah... Well, I believe Jason for that part! I trust Toby more than Wren." Hanna said.

"Actually, I think you should go, too." Aria spoke up. "Toby might have something important to tell you, for all you know! Ezra certainly had some big and important news to tell ME."

"Really? What?" Hanna asked.

"Ezra and Maggie are back together," Aria explained, groaning. "He said he did it for Malcolm, but that's bull shit! Ezra still loves Maggie, and he's been leading me on all this time, obviously."

Spencer rolled her eyes, "Whatever guys, I'm going to go meet up with Toby."

"Alright, good luck." Aria said.

* * *

Spencer saw Toby at the Apple Rose Grille and sat down across from him.

"Toby... What's going on?" Spencer asked.

"I want answers, Spencer," he said, "and I want them _now_."


	9. 9: The Heat

9: The Heat

Spencer gulped. She knew coming here was a bad idea! Now she would have to answer his questions. Could she just run away now? Maybe she could escape this. If she told him why, she KNEW -A would be able to break the promise fully, and one of her friends would see the end of it. Maybe it would be Aria...or Emily again... or poor and fragile Hanna! She didn't want to risk their lives.

"Tell me who this person bothering you is," he demanded.

She furrowed her eyebrows, "How do you know that somebody is bothering me, Toby?"

He rolled his eyes, "_Please_, Spencer. I know about -A."

"How?" She asked.

"You should be answering the questions, but I'll give you this one," he said. H cleared his throat and explained, "I went to visit Emily after she got home from the hospital, and her phone buzzed. It was a text from Paige. She asked me to check her messages for her. And I stumbled upon a series of text messages from this -A person. It sounds to me like you've got some kind of bully or stalker, and I want to help. I'm not going to let you get hurt. I will personally go up to this creep and punch them in the face if they're hurting you. They can't get away with it, Spencer."

Spencer sighed, "You can't know this much."

"Is -A why you broke up with me?" He asked.

"It's not safe..." she quietly said.

"I don't know if it'll ever be safe, Spencer! I can't keep waiting around. I know I said I didn't want answers, and that I just wanted to be with you, but if you're not going to be with me, then I at least want answers!" He angrily said. "So tell me everything you know about -A. Maybe if we work together, we can find out who this person is. Isn't Hanna's boyfriend Caleb like a hacker? Maybe Caleb could find out who it is."

She sighed, "We've tried, Toby. You just don't understand..."

"No matter how deep you're into this, I want to protect you." He said, and took her hand.

Without thinking, she kissed him right on the lips. She just couldn't resist it. For a moment, she forgot about Wren. It was all about Toby right now, and she didn't know why. She should be forgetting about him, but he was making it real hard when he kept popping up and demanding answers! And it was even harder, now that he knew about -A.

She forgot about Wren. She followed Toby to his truck. It's like the kiss made him forget all about getting answers from her. Before she knew it, she was making out with Toby on his bed, at his loft.

He hovered on top of her, kissing all over her face.

She couldn't help herself. She yanked Toby's pants down, and threw them on the floor. Was now really the time for sex?

Screw it. She needed this. She was pulling Toby's shirt over her head in a flash, and she was quite satisfied with what she saw. She remembered how much she missed those sexy abs of his. She kissed his chest before allowing him to start undressing her. He had her shirt over her head quickly, and kissed her stomach aggressively, and trailed kisses up to her breasts. He was licking his lips at the sight of her in her bra.

Soon enough, all their clothes were on the floor of his loft, and the blanket was covering their bodies. Toby was about to enter her.

"Are you sure?"

"Toby, _please_. Just do it."

* * *

"That was fun," Hanna said, smiling. "I'll call you later, kay?"

"Mhmm," Caleb said, smiling back at her. "Don't stress your leg out too much, alright?"

"Caleb, I won't. I can handle it," Hanna said.

"Okay, okay," Caleb said, sighing. "Hanna, I'm just worried about you. But whatever. Don't forget to call me, okay?"

"I could never forget calling you," Hanna said.

"Good," Caleb smiled at her. "We should get frozen yogurt from here more often, this stuff is damn good."

"_Caleb_, you should get going," Hanna urges.

"Why do you want me gone so badly?" Caleb asked, chuckling. "Don't you want to spend more time with your boyfriend?"

"Yeah, but you need to go for that meeting with your father." Hanna reminded him. "Plus, I have somewhere to be."

"Hanna, you're scaring me... Where do you need to be?" Caleb asked.

"Caleb, I can handle myself!" Hanna yelled. "Can't you just back off? I have my own life to handle, and I don't need my boyfriend acting like my dad!"

Caleb breathed angrily.

"Fine Hanna, you go do whatever then." Caleb said, and stormed off.

Hanna sighed as she walked over to an outside table at the Brew and sat down. She waited patiently. She smiled as the awkward young man in a flannel shirt sat down across from her. He had this worried look on his face.

"Lucas," Hanna greeted warmly. "I didn't think Jason meant it when he told me that you were back in Rosewood. I thought he was lying."

Lucas sighed, "Yes, I'm back. Hanna, do your friends know you're here?"

"No they don't," Hanna said. "They don't need to know until you tell me everything you know. I know that you know something about the A-Team, Lucas, and I need you to tell me everything you know. Please, do it for me! I need this."

Lucas nervously looked at the floor, "There are dangerous people in the world, Hanna."

"Lucas... Where are you going with this?" Hanna asked.

"Just watch out for CeCe Drake, okay?" Lucas said, biting his lip. "That's all I can say, and I have to go now, Hanna! But just watch your back! Not everything everyone says is true. People lie!"

Hanna furrowed her eyebrows, "Lucas, don't leave! I need you."

Lucas sighed, "You don't need me, Hanna. You just want my answers. You'll give me hope that you like me, when all along you just need answers. Then you'll go running back to that Caleb of yours, right? I'm just your little source for information, and that's all I'll ever be to you."

"No you're not a source," Hanna told him. "You're a friend."

Lucas bit his lip, "I can't do this, I'm sorry. I just can't take it. Every second I'm here, I feel guiltiest and I feel worse, so the sooner I walk away, the better. Goodbye, Hanna. Please, don't try to contact me anymore."

"Lucas, wait!" Hanna called after him. "Did Jason lie about CeCe? Why did he protect her? How is CeCe involved!?"

"I knew I was just a source," Lucas breathed. "For the last time... Goodbye."

Lucas walked away, and Hanna didn't bother chasing him. There was no point... he wasn't going to tell her anything. All he could and would tell her was that she should watch out for CeCe, which is exactly what Wren said.


	10. 10: Guilt

10: Guilt

Spencer had already finished dressing herself. Toby put his jacket on and sat next to her on the bed. He gently kissed her hair, and was glad to be with her again. Spencer's phone buzzed, and she knew what it probably meant. Another -A text... She picked her phone up and read it to herself. There was a photo attached to it.

Text from BLOCKED ID:

Steamy with Toby, huh? I thought we had a deal. Tell your little liars to watch their backs tonight. Lock the doors, Spence!

Kisses, -A

The photo attached was a picture of her kissing Toby at the Apple Rose Grille. Her jaw nearly dropped in shock. Her heart stopped for a moment. -A had seen her kissing him, and now that devious bitch was bound to tell Wren, right? She felt like a freaking slut for hooking up with Toby while being with Wren! She had accepted Wren's offer to be his girlfriend, too. She felt like a betrayer.

Toby noticed her shocked reaction to her phone text.

"Spencer... Is everything okay?" Toby asked, tracing a circle on her back to calm her down.

"Uh, yeah..." she lied, biting her lip. "Listen, Emily needs me, so I've got to go."

He furrowed his eyebrows, "You have to leave right now? Can't Emily wait?"

"It's urgent," she lied again.

"Oh." he said, not really believing her. "Is Emily alright?"

"She's fine, it's just that something personal is going on," she lied once again.

She hated lying to him, but she had to! She couldn't tell him that she was with Wren. It was immature of her to want to keep something that big from him, but she didn't want this mess to get any bigger than it already was. She didn't want to hurt Wren OR Toby. She cared about both of them deeply, and it hurt her to hurt one of them. -A clearly didn't want her with Toby, but she was confused to why -A didn't care that she was with Wren at all.

Toby kissed her cheek before letting her go. She rushed off. That kiss on the cheek made her feel worse. She needed to see Wren. What if -A had already sent him the picture of her kissing Toby at the Grille? That wasn't the worst part, though. The worst part was that -A had threatened to hurt her friends again. This would all be her fault if one of her best friends died tonight! She didn't want that to happen.

"Spencer," Wren calmly greeted when he opened his door. "Uhm, hello. Where have you been all day? I, uh, I called your home phone several times, but it went to voice mail. When your mother picked up, she told me that you were out. Is everything alright?"

"Yeah, I was with a friend," Spencer said, sighing. "I really wanted to see you, though."

"A friend? Okay," Wren said. "I have to go. I'm sorry that we can't spend time together."

"Wren, I don't think that we should see each other." Spencer blurted.

Wren's jaw dropped. He seemed pissed and surprised that she was breaking up with him.

"Why?" He demanded.

"I just can't do it..." she mumbled.

"Is it because of the carpenter?" Wren asked, gritting his teeth.

"I'm sorry... I... I love him." Spencer quietly said.

Wren swallowed hard. He was obviously pissed.

"I understand. I'm going to head out. I'll see you later," he said.

"Thank you so much for understanding." Spencer said, and gave him a quick hug.

* * *

Emily closed her eyes and tried to forget what happened that night, but it was all that she could think about. She couldn't let the fact that A was so close to her, touching her, and she didn't even notice until the pain kicked in. She couldn't understand how A could get inside of a house like that. Did A have some kind of superpower? It was crazy.

"Em," Hanna said, and rubbed her friend's back. "What are you thinking about? Is everything alright?"

"No," Emily whispered. "Nothing's alright."

Aria had to go home, so it was just Hanna and Emily.

"What are you thinking about?" Hanna asked.

"That night," she whispered, shutting her eyes again. "I can't get it out of my head, Hanna! I just can't. It's haunting me. How could A be so close to me? Whenever I close my eyes, that night is all I can see."

"Emily, what exactly happened that night?" Hanna asked.

_"Good night," Paige whispered before pulling her in and giving her a long kiss on the lips. "I'm going to turn the lights off, but I'm gonna go downstairs and get some water. Do you want something to drink, Em?"_

_"Hot chocolate?" Emily asked. "I'm feeling kind of cold tonight. I think a nice cup of hot chocolate along with your arms wrapped around me will warm me up tonight." She flirtatiously spoke. Her hand lingered with Paige's before letting her go._

_"Coming right up," Paige grinned. "I'll be back soon. Stay comfy."_

_ Paige smiled at her happily before going downstairs._

_Everything seemed perfect. She was going to drink her hot chocolate, cuddle with Paige, and have the perfect night tonight. She was honestly so in love with Paige, and she couldn't wait to tell her about how much she loved her before falling asleep in her arms. She had been sleeping over at Paige's a lot lately, since her mother was out of town, so she was used to sleeping over. The McCullers parents were out of town, too, so both the ladies wanted some company._

_Emily closed her eyes and relaxed against Paige's bed. She rested her head on the soft, white pillow. She couldn't be happier right now. Being with Paige always made her so happy. She didn't think anything could ruin the night or kill the mood. She took a deep breath before snuggling up to the pillow while she awaited Paige's return._

_In a minute or so, she felt a gentle hand tracing her skin. She smiled, assuming it was Paige, but didn't open her eyes, since she was so relaxed in her position._

_"Paige! You're quick, you know," Emily quietly said. "Come here and kiss me. The hot chocolate can wait."_

_Her lips were ready for a sweet kiss from her loving girlfriend. Instead of a sweet kiss, she got pain in her skin. She screamed loudly and opened her eyes. She couldn't believe that Paige would hurt her. But when she opened her eyes, it wasn't Paige... It was a black hooded person wearing an Alison mask._

_"Paige! Help me!" She screamed._

_Paige heard Emily's scream and freaked out. She dropped the water and hot chocolate and raced up the steps. The black hooded figure threw some shattered glass hand mirror or something on Emily, and then cut her skin deeply with it. Emily was about to pass out with all the pain and blood. The black hooded figure sprinted for the doorway. Paige saw the black hooded figure and screamed._

_"Emily!" Paige screamed. "Was that A!? Emily, are you okay!?"_

_Paige kneeled down beside Emily's unconscious body. She feared that Emily was dead. She pulled her cell phone out of her pocket as quickly as she could. Paige was going to call 911._

"Emily, you're crying," Hanna said. "It's okay. It's all good. Don't cry."

"Hanna, you don't understand! A was _inside_ of Paige's house!" Emily sobbed.

"I know. A has been in all of our houses lots of times," Hanna said. "Don't worry. You're alive, and everything is gonna be fine."

"I know I'm alive, but what if Paige had called the hospital one second later?" Emily asked, shutting her eyes again. "I probably would have died."

"But she didn't, so let's be glad about that," Hanna whispered, and gave Emily a long hug.


	11. 11: Missing

11: Missing

_Two weeks later..._

Spencer wanted to be with Toby, but she was more scared than ever. She didn't know if A accepted her with him yet. If A still wanted her and Toby to be over, then it would happen. She wanted to get back together with him, but what if A hurt one of her friends? She really loved him, but she didn't want to risk her best friends' lives. She had told him that they could only be friends right now, and he still didn't get why, but he went along with it and hung out with her as just a friend.

"Spence," Toby said her name. "You're usually a little more talkative than this... Is everything alright? I thought we explained everything at the Grille that other day. You know you can trust me and tell me anything, right?"

"I know...but I really love you...but... I hate shutting you out," she quietly said.

He blinked twice, "I love you, too. You know that I always will."

She frowned. She wished that A would leave her alone and let her be happy with Toby. She wished that this creep would just back off and let her have a happy relationship with this guy that she loved so much. She didn't understand why A had the power to control her love life and make her do whatever he/she wanted! If A wanted her to not be with Toby, A got it. She hated how that worked. A would always be in control.

"I would do anything for you," he told her.

He put his hand on her chin and made her face him. She wanted to kiss his adorable lips so badly. She missed his kisses a lot. She hasn't kissed him since the day they slept together at his loft after their meeting at the Apple Rose Grille. His kisses always made her feel safe, and now she couldn't have them anymore.

She couldn't stop her feelings as his blue eyes looked into her brown ones. His face was moving closer to hers, and she was dying to kiss him right here, and right now. So she did what her heart was dying to do... She kissed him right on his soft lips, and she enjoyed every second of their lip-lock. He obviously kissed back, since he was _thrilled_ that she was finally kissing him after what happened two weeks ago.

* * *

Aria had been seeing Jake since their date last Monday, and she really liked him. She had been pretty much going on dates with him for two weeks. Well, nearly two weeks. They hit it off on their first date, and she was absolutely charmed by Jake's personality. She had fell hard for him so quickly.

She was too shy to ask him if they were boyfriend/girlfriend yet, but she really wanted to know.

They were walking home for yet another date that afternoon.

"Thanks so much for taking me here," Aria said, smiling.

"Being with you made me happy," Jake told her.

He turned to face her, and smiled.

"Do you need a ride home?" Jake asked.

"No, I think I'm gonna hit the mall for a bit, and it's right around the corner, so I'll walk. But thanks for the offer," she said, smiling back at him.

"Alright, uh, have fun..." He awkwardly said. "Listen Aria, I really care about you and I think you're one of the greatest girls I've ever met... And I know you said that your life is complicated and that you just got our of a relationship with that Ezra dude, and I'm sorry about that, but I can't control how I feel about you any longer."

"What are you saying?" She asked.

He smiled at her and stepped closer to her. He gently pressed his lips against her, and his hands gently touched her waist. She kissed back, as she was obviously enchanted by his kiss.

"I'm saying that since the moment we first hung out last Monday, I realized that I met a really amazing girl. I'm saying that I _really_ like you," he calmly explained, with a smile.

"I really like you, too. So, what's the catch?" She asked.

Jake furrowed his eyebrows.

"The _what_?"

"The catch, you know! Something to complicate this relationship." Aria said.

He chuckled, "I'm sorry, I haven't heard about this catch thing... Was there supposed to be a complication? I don't have one... I just really like you, and I was hoping that we could be together... Is the no-catch thing a deal reader or something?"

She sighed, "I'm sorry, I'm just used to there being a complication in every relationship. When I was with Ezra, since he was my teacher, and he had a son, it was just way too complicated for us, and I was so used to having to hide and not be able to go out anywhere in public with him. Plus, he was always spending time with his ex-girlfriend Maggie, and their son Malcolm. I just didn't think there was a place for me in Ezra's life anymore. Look, I'm sorry for babbling."

"It's totally cool," Jake said. "Aria, I don't want to complicate your life at all. The only thing I want to do is make this easy on you. I just want you to be happy. If you're not ready to move on from this Ezra guy, then it's okay, I understand."

"No, I've got to move on," Aria told him, shaking her head. "I don't want to spend the rest of my life hoping that there will be hope for Ezra and I. Especially when there's an amazingly sweet guy right in front of me. I can't spend my life hoping that there will be a happy ending for a relationship that was never meant to have one. I want to try something new. And it feels amazing to not have to sneak around like Ezra and I had to do."

Jake smiled a little bit.

"Does that mean you want to..." He began.

She leaned in and kissed him again.

"Yes, it does. I'll never know if I don't take a chance," she told him as she pulled back.

* * *

Spencer had spent most of the evening at Toby's. She felt like she was home again, and he made her welcome, as if she had never left his side. It was a perfect night where all she could do was smile and enjoy herself. She felt horrible about cheating on Wren, and she really hoped that A hadn't told him. She tried not to think about how Wren felt about her leading him on and then breaking his heart, so she tried to have a great time. And Toby made that possible for her.

She started walking to Aria's house. It was about an hour since she had left Toby's, and now she just wanted to spend some time with her best friend. Hanna was spending more time with Emily, since poor Emily was still fearful because of what happened on her date with Paige. She pitied Emily, really, but she didn't want to visit her. She didn't want to see the mess that A had caused. She just wanted to have an A-free night tonight, and Aria was the only way to go right now.

The brunette knocked on the door. But Aria didn't answer it, Mrs. Montgomery did.

"Hi Mrs. Montgomery," Spencer greeted with a sweet smile. "Is Aria home?"

She shook her head. "I'm sorry, no. She went out on a date with some new boy earlier today."

"But she told me that her date ended like two or three hours ago..." Spencer told her, furrowing her eyebrows.

"She's probably just caught up in traffic or something," Mrs. Montgomery brushed it off.

"Three hours worth?" Spencer asked, raising her eyebrows. "If she was caught in that bad of a traffic jam, don't you think that she would have let someone know?"

"I'll just call her now," Mrs. Montgomery said. "I think you should go home though, Spencer. I don't think she's going to be back for a while. I'll call you if she gets home, or if there's any news on her. You can wait here for dinner, if you don't mind spending the night with Mike while you wait for Aria."

"It's fine, I'll go. Please call me if you find anything out. I'm just really worried for her," Spencer said before shutting the door and walking away.

* * *

In home room, Aria wasn't at school either. Spencer confronted Hanna. Emily wasn't here because she was supposed to be bedridden for one more week. But, Emily would be back to school and ready after that.

"How's poor Emily doing?" Spencer asked.

"Emily? She's good. I've been visiting her a lot lately," Hanna said. "Paige comes in a lot, too. Poor Paige must have been so worried when she saw Emily like that the other day. Do you even know what happened that night? Emily told me the story, and it was horrible!"

"Honestly, this is one thing that I don't want to know. I'd rather not know how my best friend got attacked by a stalker at night," Spencer sighed. "Did you notice that Aria wasn't at school today?"

"Yeah, but so what? She's probably sick or something," Hanna said.

"Han, I think this is more than that," Spencer sighed. "I went to visit her last night, and Mrs. Montgomery said that she wasn't home. But she said that she left her date with Jake like hours before."

"Do you think Jake did something to her?" Hanna asked.

"I'm not thinking about Jake... I'm thinking about A," Spencer responded.

"If Aria's gone, I... She can't be gone, Spencer. She's fine!" Hanna tried to assure herself. "She'll be fine. She can't end up like Alison, she just can't."

"We should call her ourselves," Spencer said.

She pulled out her phone and called Aria.

"Straight to voicemail," Spencer sighed as she put her phone away. "I'm going to check on her at her house after school. Want to come?"

"Of course," Hanna nodded. "I need to find Caleb, though. He hasn't been talking to me much lately. That day I met up with Lucas, Caleb and I got in a huge fight, and now he won't speak to me!"

"Just apologize for whatever. I'm sure it'll blow over soon," Spencer shrugged.

"Speaking of boyfriends, I saw Toby in his driveway, so I went to talk to him. He was so happy. He was talking about how amazing you are, and he kept asking about you," Hanna told her. "What happened? I thought A made you guys break up."

"They did... But I couldn't take it. I kissed Toby at the Grille..." Spencer confessed.

"What about Wren!?" Hanna asked, shocked.

"I had to break up with him. I couldn't handle being with Wren while I knew I still loved Toby," Spencer sighed.

"So you're back together?" Hanna asked.

Spencer smiled, "Yeah, and I'm finally happy again."

"Does Wren know you cheated?" Hanna asked.

Spencer frowned, "No, and I don't want to think about that."

* * *

Hanna and Spencer went to Aria's house that day.

Mrs. Montgomery snuffled as she opened the door, "Uh... Hello, ladies. Can I help you?"

"Is Aria okay?" Hanna asked. "She wasn't in class, and she wasn't picking up her phone. So can we see her now?"

Hanna was ready to charge right into the Montgomery home.

"Hanna, actually, there's something I need to tell you two," Mrs. Montgomery said, wiping a tear from her face. "Aria didn't come home last night. I called her date, and he said she went to the mall the last time he saw her... So I called the police to find her..."

Hanna's jaw dropped.

"Aria's _missing_?"

Spencer's phone buzzed.

TEXT FROM BLOCKED ID: Want your precious Aria back? Ditch the carpenter and get the doctor. Use the doctor to break your precious carpenter's heart right in his face, and you can have your BFF back. Kisses, -A!


	12. 12: Heartbreaker

12: Heartbreaker

Hanna and Spencer left the Montgomery home. They headed over to Emily's house, because they needed to inform her of the heartbreaking news. Spencer felt so guilty. It was her fault that Aria was gone! Now she had to break Toby's heart to save Aria. And she would do it. She couldn't let Aria be kept hostage.

"Hanna," Spencer nervously began. They weren't even in Emily's house yet. "I've got a confession to make. I think the reason Aria's gone is because...because I got back together with Toby, against A's wishes. This is my fault."

Hanna's eyes widened, "Wait, you're saying that _you're_ the reason that Aria is missing! Why didn't you tell me earlier? I can't believe you, Spencer! Now we've lost Aria just so you could make out with Toby!"

Spencer was nearly crying now. "I know, and I'm sorry. But I can fix this. Look... Look at what A sent me."

Hanna read the text.

"We can save Aria!" Hanna exclaimed. "You're gonna do it, right?"

"I don't want to, but I will. I have to," Spencer sadly said. "I'm not losing my best friend because of A. I love Toby, but I'm not losing a friend over it."

"A is making it harsh, too... You have to kiss Wren in front of him, I think," Hanna gulped.

"I know," she sighed. "Can we not talk about this? We need to tell Emily first. I'll break up with Toby later. I just don't want to think about it right now."

Hanna nodded and hugged her friend. They walked into Emily's house. They walked into her room. She was crying on her bed.

"Hanna, Spencer!" Emily cried. "Aria's missing!"

"You know? That's what we came here to tell you," Hanna said. "We found out from Mrs. Montgomery. How do you know about it?"

"My mom works at a police station, Han," Emily explained, still sobbing. "She told me that Mrs. Montgomery had reported Aria missing to the police this morning. I can't believe she's gone! Did Jake do it? Did A do it?"

"A," Spencer said sadly. "A did it, Emily. It's my fault. I shouldn't have kissed Toby when A told me to break up with him. It's all my fault that she's gone, and I need to fix this NOW! Hanna, can you hand me my phone? I have a call to make, and it's going to fix this."

"Who are you calling?" Hanna asked, furrowing her eyebrows as she picked Spencer's phone up and handed it to the brunette.

"Wren," she responded weakly. "I'm calling Wren."

* * *

"Spencer, I'm so excited that you called me," Wren told her. "But what did you call me here for? I thought you made it clear that you loved Toby and not me. So, I don't understand what's going on."

"Wren, I made a mistake," she breathed. "I want to be with you. Wait, I need to say something to Toby first."

Spencer had invited Wren to meet her in the middle of Rosewood's shopping area. The shopping area had plenty of stories like the cupcake store and the boutique that Hanna and Aria loved to shop at. She hated thinking about that boutique, because it just reminded her of sweet Aria's big smile whenever she found a cute dress there. She hated the fact that she couldn't see her best friend unless she broke the heart of the guy she loves.

She had invited Toby to meet her in the shopping area, too. She would have to dump him and run back to Wren and kiss him right in front of poor Toby's face.

Wren smirked as the brunette walked off to Toby. He knew what she was going to do.

"Hey, you told me to meet you here, but you're with Wren," he said, confused. "Spence, what's going on?"

"I don't think we're working out, Toby," she breathed out. It hurt her to do this.

"You're breaking up with me again?" He frowned. "I thought we talked everything over the other day..."

"Look, I just can't do it anymore. I... I uh... I love Wren," she bit her lip.

He blinked twice. Wren!? She loved him?

"But we... we did you know what the other day... Why... Why would you do that to me if you knew you were in love with Wren," he angrily said, shaking his head.

"I can't do this." She shook her head. "I'll see you later."

He watched her walk away. She hesitated before leaning in to kiss Wren right on the lips. Wren was pleased, and he pulled her in closer and kissed her harder.

Anger ran through Toby. He couldn't believe that she was kissing Wren right in his face!

* * *

She hated herself for what she did to Toby, but she had to do it, to save Aria. She spent about thirty minutes at a café in the shopping area with Wren. They had a little food, and she sadly kissed him goodbye before heading back to Emily's house. Hanna was still there, too.

"I did it," Spencer told them. "I broke his heart right in front of him with Wren."

"You did?" Emily was shocked. "I'm so sorry, Spence... It had to be done, though. You did it for Aria."

"Yeah, good job," Hanna said, and pat her back. "You're strong. So, when do we get Aria back? Did you get an A text."

"Yeah, I got the text right after my date with Wren when I started walking home," she sighed. "Read it."

Emily and Hanna looked at her phone and read the text.

TEXT FROM BLOCKED ID: Nice work, Spence! Come to the Rosewood Graveyard at 8 PM to retrieve your precious BFF.


	13. 13: To the Graveyard

13: To the Graveyard

"9 PM," Emily read the words. "I hope this isn't just one of A's tricks. It really can't be this time... We need Aria back. I think maybe you should bring protection. Being someone that can guard you just in case something goes wrong. Someone trustworthy. Maybe Wren,"

Spencer pursed her lips for a moment at Emily's suggestion of Wren. She didn't think that she could let Wren in about the secret of A just yet. She sighed and shook her head, disapproving Emily's idea. If Wren knew, he wouldn't sleep until he got every last drop of information from her. He would probably keep bugging her until she spilled, like Toby did.

"Emily, you know what the text says. It says I have to go alone," the brunette said. "Besides, Wren doesn't know about A, and if I asked him to randomly come to the graveyard just in case someone attacks me, I'm sure he would have plenty of questions and concerns to why I need to go in the first place."

Hanna grabbed the phone from Emily and studied it again. None of them wanted to lose Aria, but the fear of also losing Spencer was pretty harsh on them. Hanna re-read the text a hundred times in her head, but she still couldn't figure out if A was trustworthy this time.

"Honestly, do you really think A is gonna hand Aria over to you in such a simple way? Plus, it's at a graveyard! It's a perfect place to stir up trouble," Hanna pointed out. "Knowing A, there's always some crazy part where we get attacked or something, even if we get a gift from A. They can't just give us what we want... There's always a catch."

"Wasn't giving Toby up enough of a catch?" Spencer asked, breathing harshly.

Hanna shrugged. None of them knew what A wanted anymore at this point.

"Your phone is ringing, Spence," Hanna announced, and handed the cell phone to Spencer. "It's Wren," Hanna added.

"Hello? Hi, Wren. Do you need something?"

"Uh, well, I was hoping that you would come to the Brew to get some coffee with me. We could meet up now."

She sighed. She couldn't say no to him.

"Sounds good. I'll be there soon."

"Great! I'm looking forward to it, sweetheart."

The call ended.

"What did he want?" Emily asked.

"I'm going to the Brew with him for coffee," she responded.

"Coffee? Now!? Asia's missing, and you want to get coffee with your boyfriend!?" Hanna angrily asked.

"Look, I'm getting Aria back tonight at 9 PM," Spencer reminded them. "I rarely have time for Wren, and I think I need to show him that I'm not neglecting him. A week-ish ago, I broke up with him and told him that I still love Toby. I can't help but feel that he still remembers and feels like I still do."

"Well, do you?" Hanna asked.

"Hanna, now isn't the time for this! I need to go," she nervously said before rushing out of Emily's house.

"That reminds me... I need to talk to Caleb. Can I call Caleb from your phone?" Hanna asked Emily. "He's ignoring all of the calls from my phone, so maybe if I pretend that I'm you calling, he'll answer!"

"You're in a fight with Caleb?" Emily asked. "What happened?"

"I was planning on talking to Lucas, and I wanted Caleb to leave... and things got ugly from there," Hanna explained vaguely, and sighed. "Please Em? I really need to talk to him. I feel terrible."

"Hanna, of course. I love you! You can call him. I would never let you let your relationship burn for no reason. You can grab my phone from the nightstand next to me and call him," Emily said. "And Hanna, don't worry. Caleb loves you a lot. He can't stay mad too long."

* * *

"Love, you made it!" Wren exclaimed and gave Spencer a hug. "I'm so glad you could come. What do you want to drink? Coffee with sugar that's as sweet as you?"

Spencer smiled a little at his cheesy line.

"Cute, but I actually like my coffee extra dark," she chuckled. "What was so urgent about coffee today, anyways?"

"Nothing! I just wanted to spend time with my favorite girl," Wren said, grinning.

"You're so sweet," she smiled. "Wren... What are you doing tonight?"

"I'm busy tonight," he calmly responded. "I've got a meeting at the hospital. It's with my boss! I'm really excited. I think my boss wants to finally promote me. I may even be able to get the night shift at the hospital, which means I can spend more time with you in the morning and afternoon!"

"That's great!" Spencer exclaimed. "Will you call me if your boss gives you that? I want to be the first to know about it. I'm really happy for you, you know. This is exciting for the both of us."

He smiled and leaned closer, "Of course."

His lips touched hers gently.

* * *

"Jake!" Spencer called to the muscular man. "Jake, wait up!"

"Uh, hey. Sorry to be rude, but I don't think we've met," Jake said, raising his eyebrows. "Maybe you've got the wrong guy."

"No, I know we haven't met. Aria showed me a picture of you," Spencer told him. "Um, I was just wondering if you've heard from her recently. She hasn't come home, and she's been reported missing and stuff. I'm really worried for her."

"I haven't seen her since we parted ways on our date," Jake said. "Wait... _What_? Aria's missing!? No, no, no... She's got to be okay."

"I know you care about her a lot," Spencer said, sighing. "I just can't believe this happened."

"You don't understand... She's a really amazing girl, and I didn't think I would lose her like this if I ever lost her! I always thought losing a girl would be a break up," Jake said, sighing and shaking his head. "I know I don't really know you, but I want to do whatever I can to make sure she's okay. I know Aria and I haven't been together that long, but I really like her and care about her."

"I appreciate it a lot that you care about her," Spencer said, smiling. "I'll talk to you as soon as I find anything out about Aria. If you find anything, just call me. I really need to be notified if you find anything out."

Spencer quickly grabbed a pen and wrote her phone number down on a piece of paper. She handed it to Jake.

"Thanks," Jake said, nodding. "I promise I will. I think I'll try contacting her parents first."

She shakily smiled as if she were confident about finding Aria. But she wasn't... at all. She was BEYOND worried about Aria's disappearance. She just didn't want to scare Jake even more by panicking. She could tell that Jake was extremely into Aria, and cared a lot for her. She didn't want to destroy his happiness by showing him how hopeless she felt about this situation. Honestly, she felt like tonight was going to go wrong and backfire. There was no way that A just wanted to hand Aria over to her!

* * *

"Hey Emily... What are you calling for? I have to do... that thing."

"Spencer, it's 8:45, I think you should get a move on this. You should head out quickly. I'm with Hanna. Call me if anything goes wrong. Are you sure you don't want some back up out there?"

"Em, you know I want some back up, but I can't have any. A made it clear that I'm not allowed to have any protection tonight. I just go in, get Aria, and get out."

"I'm thinking Hanna was right, Spence. A is never that simple."

"Maybe A decided to change. Look, I've got to leave now."

"Okay. Good luck. I love you."

"Love you too, Emily. Tell Hanna I love her, too."

"Sure thing. Later."

* * *

Spencer pulled her jacket over her shoulders. The cold air was harsh against her skin. She couldn't help but feel like something bad was going to happen. Well, when it's dark outside, and you're in a creepy graveyard, it's kind of hard not to feel scared and feel the way Spencer did.

She looked around. There was no sign of Aria anywhere. It scared her to see that she wasn't there. What was A planning!? What was in store for her? She curled her toes inside of her Uggs Boots in fear. Something was definitely not right. She just wished that A would keep the promise of bringing Aria back. Spencer did everything A asked, so why was she not getting her reward!?

She felt arms wrap around her. The instinct was to scream, but she realized that she wasn't being attacked... she was being hugged. Why the hell would A hug her? It couldn't be A, and the only other person she thought it to be was Aria. She hoped and hoped that it was Aria hugging her.

"Spence, it's me!" She exclaimed, and buried her head against Spencer.

Spencer turned around and smiled, "Aria! You're okay... Emily and Hanna and Jake and your parents and... Everyone... We were all so worried for you! What happened? What did A do to you?"

"We can talk later. We need to leave, Spencer," Aria said. "A is out here tonight. The hoodie brought me here in the first place. I didn't exactly believed the person when they told me that they were taking me to see you tonight... It seemed abnormal. But A is out here tonight, and probably doesn't want us to make a clean escape."

"Then we can get the hell out of here," Spencer said. "I'm just glad you're okay, Aria. We were all worried sick for you!"

"Jake knows?" Aria asked. "And my parents?"

"They found out, but they'll be glad to know you're back," Spencer said. "So will Hanna and Emily. Ar, we better get going... before A gets out here."

"They're probably already out here, but let's go," Aria said, and they started jogging to the car. "What do I tell Jake? I can't tell him that A kidnapped me and kept me hostage... Then I'll have to tell him about A! I need to make up some sort of lie or excuse."

"I honestly don't know. All I know is that A likes to wreck relationships," Spencer breathed as she thought about Toby.

"Weren't you with Wren?" Aria asked.

"Yeah, but we broke up while you were gone, and then got back together. A made me break Toby's heart by kissing Wren in front of me... I think it hurt me more than it hurt him," Spencer sighed.

"It's okay. Everything will be okay," Aria said.

The girls got in the car and got ready to drive off.

"Thank god we're finally out of there," Spencer said, relieved. "And thank god you're okay, Aria!"

She felt so relieved that she was with Aria again. Knowing that Aria was safe put peace in Spencer's mind, even if she was conflicted between Wren and Toby...


	14. 14: I'm Back

_A/N: I don't usually do author's notes, but I have a question for you guys. Who do you want to see Hanna with? Caleb, Lucas, or Travis? I'm leaning towards Lucas or Travis since I'm not really a Haleb fan, but I want to know what you guys think. I'm not sure that your reviews will impact my decision, but if there's too many Haleb fans, then I may make Caleb the endgame guy. I still haven't decided yet. But please answer in your reviews or PMs!_

14: I'm Back

The first thing Aria did was go to see Hanna and Emily. Her parents would force her to stay home and answer questions, so she decided that she might as well just go reunite with Hanna, Emily, and Jake. Spencer did Aria a favor and invited Jake over. The doorbell rang, and they all knew it was Jake.

"Thank god, you're okay!" Jake said in relief as he pulled her in for a long hug. "Do you know what it felt like? I felt like something bad had happened to you. I didn't know what to think. I didn't just think that the police would think that I had something to do with it, but I also just wanted to know that you're safe. It puts me in peace to know that you're fine."

She wrapped her arms around him lovingly. Aria was so glad to hear that Jake cared this much. It warned her heart, but it also reminded her of when Ezra used to be so kind to her. She shook it off and focused on Jake. He was amazing! She just couldn't get over the fact that Ezra had left her to be with Maggie. She understood that Ezra needed to care for Malcolm, but MAGGIE? He didn't need to be with her! She couldn't believe that Ezra was giving up their love to be with Maggie after everything they had been through.

"I'm so happy to see you again!" Aria exclaimed. "Hanna, Emily, Spencer... This is Jake."

"We already met," Spencer said. She continued, "...at the Brew. We were discussing about you, so don't worry."

"Hmm, I'm getting jealous," Aria chuckled.

"Don't worry, I have Tob-" Spencer began, and then stopped herself. "I have Wren. Yeah, I have Wren."

The girls all felt uneasy about that. Hanna turned her frown into a wide and goofy grin.

"So, he's the extremely sexy bad boy you're dating?" Hanna asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Bad boy?" Jake laughed. "Seriously, Ar?"

"It may have slipped out... along with badass," she shrugged with a smile. She continued, "So Jake, that little blondie is my friend Hanna, and this silent girl over here is Emily. And, you've apparently already met Spencer before, so that introduction has been done."

Jake shut the door behind him.

"Well, have you told your parents that you're back?" Jake asked. "You need to, if you haven't. I'm sure they're worried sick about you."

"You're right. I'll just call them and tell them that I'm with you guys tonight," Aria said. "I can answer their questions later... So, I guess I'll be right back."

She walked off, leaving the rest at Emily's house. Emily had gotten out of bed. Her leg and body was feeling much better, so she didn't need to be bedridden anymore.

Surprisingly, the doorbell rang again. Emily just hoped that it wasn't the police looking to find Aria. She nervously went to the door to open it. She swung the door open, and her jaw nearly dropped when she saw the person standing in the doorway.

"Hi," he said, and pressed his lips together. "Emily, it's good to see you again. Can I see Aria?"

"How did you know that she was here?" Emily asked, furrowing her eyebrows.

"I just figured," he said, smiling a little bit. "Now, I need to see Aria ASAP. It's important."

"There are a lot of important things going on right now," Emily said, crossing her arms.

"Please, I need to do this right now," he said, and let himself in. He searched for Aria until he found her. She turned around, and her jaw nearly dropped, much like Emily's reaction.

"Ezra," she uncomfortably mumbled. "What are you doing here?"

"Aria," he said her name, with hope in his voice. "We need to talk."

"Yeah, I thought we did, but we really don't. There's nothing to talk about," she uneasily stated as she began to turn around.

Ezra grabbed her arm and turned her around. A small smile curled on his lips.

"I love you," he quietly said, still holding on to her arm. "I need you. You're important in my life. You help me in so many different ways, and I love you for it. I can't lose you, Aria! Please... Being with Maggie was a huge mistake. I thought being with Maggie was a way to get to be around Malcolm more when she left to get her degree... but Maggie dropped a bombshell. She told me that Malcolm's not really my son. So all I want to do is be with you!"

She uncomfortably glanced at him. She felt horrible that Maggie had lied to him and taken Malcolm away after he had fallen in love with the child, but she didn't know what to do. She knew that part of her still loved Ezra, since he was her first love. But what about sweet Jake? Jake made her happy in ways that Ezra never cared to do! She didn't know whether to pick the guy she had more history with, or the one that she felt was amazing.

"Aria? Who's there?" Jake asked as he approached. He furrowed his eyebrows when he saw the ice-blue eyed male standing there, with his hand holding Aria's arm. He was ready for an explanation to who this ass-like man was. He looked much older than Aria... he had some sort of stubbly beard, and his hair was unkempt for some reason. He looked like he had just ran a marathon.

"Jake! This is my friend... Ezra," Aria half-lied, biting her lip. "He's a family friend. He's a teacher at my high school. Uh Ezra, this is my boyfriend... Jake."

Ezra's face turned pale. He swallowed hard.

"Boyfriend?"

* * *

Hanna, Spencer, and Emily were sitting on the couch. Jake had went into Emily's kitchen to make the girls hot chocolate. He set the cups down on the glass table. Each of the girls smiled. Jake had two more cups in his hands, though. One was for Aria, and the other was for himself.

"Thank you," Hanna said, smiling a little bit.

"No problem," he said. "Do you guys know where Aria is?"

"Upstairs," Emily told him. "Wait, but don't go up there! She's talking to someone in private right now."

"Someone else? Should I have made more hot chocolate?" Jake asked, furrowing his eyebrows.

"No, I don't think he's here for hot chocolate," Hanna said.

"He?" Jake felt queasy now. He? It was a dude!

Hanna sighed.

"Look Jake, I didn't want to say it, but Aria's talking to her ex-boyfriend right now," Hanna explained. "I don't know what he wants, but I do know that he said it's important and then rushed his way up. I kinda do think that he wants to get back together with Aria."

"I figured," Jake said, sighing as he sat down on the couch. "I think I should go upstairs. I don't really like the idea of her talking to him."

"I don't know if interrupting is a good idea," Spencer said.

"I know it's not, Spencer," he said. "But I feel like she's hiding something from me now!"

"Well, who are we to stop you?" Emily asked, shrugging.

Jake smiled at them before slowly walking up the steps. He was afraid of what he would walk in on. What if Aria and her ex were kissing or something? He was expecting the worst.

Aria was staring at the ground, and Ezra wasn't so sure of himself anymore. He didn't know what to do at this point. She had a boyfriend, and she didn't look like she would budge right now.

"Ar?" Jake began as he entered the room.

"Jake!" Aria cried in panic. She ran up to him and gave him a hug.

He hugged her back, but he was eying the ice-blue eyed male standing there. He seemed pissed. He was crossing his arms and glaring at the two hugging.

"I have hot chocolate downstairs," Jake told her. "Who's your friend?"

"I'm Ezra," he introduced himself. "Aria and I have a long history together. And you are?"

"Jake," he said, with a nervous smile. "I'm Aria's boyfriend."

"Boyfriend, huh? How long have you two been dating?" Ezra asked. "I bet it's nothing compared to all the time I dated her."

Aria rolled her eyes, "Stop it, Ezra. You can leave."

"Fine," Ezra gulped as he walked out the door.

Jake stared at Aria for a moment.

"You want to tell me about him?" He asked.

"Well, if you want to know about Ezra and I, then I have nothing to hide," Aria said.


	15. 15: Watching You Walk Away

15: Watching You Walk Away

* * *

Spencer walked into the Brew, beside Wren. He had his arm around her, flashing his pearly whites. His chocolate brown eyes made all the girls melt. And now, he had Spencer wrapped around his finger. She seemed to be over Toby, as she rarely mentioned him anymore.

"This time, I know what you want. Extra dark with only one teaspoon of sugar, is it not?" He proudly tried to recite her order.

"Unfortunately, it is not. I don't like any sugar in it," she said, chuckling softly. "But, props to you for trying. You were real close."

"I'll get it right next time," Wren said, smiling as he took his arm off her. "Stay put. I'll go order our beverages. Do you want a snack or something?"

"I'm good," she said, and allowed him to walk to the counter.

She felt her heart sink when she saw a familiar face walking to a table. He looked relieved to see her, and approached her with an emotionless face afterwards.

"Hi," she awkwardly greeted.

"Hey," he said, nodding his head a little bit. "Are you here with... Wren?" His body tensed up when he said the girlfriend-stealer's name.

"Yeah," she replied, closing her eyes for a moment. "What did you order?"

"Just a frap," he answered, shrugging his shoulders slightly. "Let me guess, you got your extra dark and sugarless blend?"

She laughed a little bit.

"You know me so well," she said, smiling.

"Look, I'm still in touch with Emily, and she said something about Aria being gone... I didn't want to bring it up, but is everything okay with Aria?" He asked.

She nodded.

"She wasn't here for a little while, but she's back now. Something happened, but it's hopefully all over now." She explained vaguely.

"I'm glad to hear that." he said.

"Toby..." her mouth could barely say his name. "Why aren't you angry with me? I kissed Wren right in front of your face!"

"I know," he said, remembering the day that his heart broke. "I was upset, for a little while. But I can piece things together. You were loving me one day, and then hating me the next. I was done with it. After you kissed Wren that day, I realized that I was wasting my time getting caught up in the drama. I thought it would be nice to be just friends."

"Friends?" Spencer's stomach hurt at that. "Being friends would be amazing. I was afraid that you would never speak to me again."

She thought that being friends with Toby was better than not seeing him at all.

"Yeah, friends. I've got to go run some errands. But, you know... Even if we're just friends, I'll always love you," he quietly said, and leaned closer. He kissed her cheek gently before walking away, leaving Spencer stunned.

"Hey there, Beauty Queen!" Wren exclaimed, and handed her a coffee.

"Wren! Hey. Thanks for the coffee," she said, feeling queasy about the whole Toby situation.

"Yeah. Extra dark, just how you like it," he said with a smile.

She sipped the coffee, and she could taste the sugar.

"There's sugar in this, you know," she told him.

"Damn," Wren said. "It must have slipped out when I was ordering."

"It's fine. I didn't want to nitpick anyways," she said. "Actually, I don't think I can stay. My parents want me home soon for some college preparation stuff. You know my parents..."

"Is this because I got you the wrong coffee?" Wren asked. "Sweetheart! Spencer, I can fix this. You don't need to run away."

"No Wren, the coffee has nothing to do with this. It's just college stuff, okay? I have to obey my parents. There's no other choice in my life." She insisted, and walked off.

* * *

Spencer sat at home, and brushes her finger against the place that Toby kissed her cheek. It felt so at home, but it hurt her to watch him walk away. She loved him, too. He said he loved her, and then he left! Now they were just friends. She knew that nothing would ever be the same again for them, friends or not. It would just be awkward, since they still had feelings for each other.

* * *

Mona had returned, and she and Hanna had resumed a calm friendship, somehow. They were walking out of the mall, after their shopping spree. Then, Hanna bumped into someone.

"Hey, you hit my friend! Watch i- Travis?" Mona began, with a smile. "Hello."

"Mona! I haven't seen you in a while," Travis began. He looked down, and his eyes met with Hanna's.

Mona picked up on the chemistry.

"Just in case you were wondering, this is my very awesome friend... Hanna Marin. Hanna, meet Travis. He and I were lab partners in the ninth grade. He's super nice," Mona explained.

"It was a pleasure to meet ya, Hanna," Travis said with a grin. "I hope I'll see you ladies around some time."

Travis smiled before walking off.

"He's really cute," Hanna commented.

"Han, what happened out there!? You're acting as if Shaggy Caleb doesn't exist in your life anymore," Mona said.

"Caleb... Well, I got in a fight with him the day I was meeting with Lucas," Hanna said. "Now...? I don't know where Caleb and I stand. He's been giving me the cold shoulder for a while."

"Well, I never really liked Caleb, anyways. Travis is single and really sweet," Mona said. "You'll love him. If you're done with Caleb, you know, Travis is always an option. I could set you guys up."

"I don't know," Hanna breathed.

* * *

**short chapter. Haleb is not over yet! Travis is here, but Caleb and Hanna still have unresolved conflicts to solve. I'm not saying that Travis/Hanna will work, but they have at least a chance. I'm also not saying Haleb is over, because they have a chance as well. I have this all planned out. As for Spoby, there are some big things going to happen, and this interaction was just the beginning. Also, there will be some new stuff with Aria, involving Ezra & Jake. Aria and Jake are going strong, but Ezra still has a HUUUGE storyline that blows my own mind! Aria and Ezra may have some romance coming up... But Jake isn't gone. She really likes Jake, she's just conflicted when Ezra makes a comeback into her life as a love interest. I think Emily and Paige will stay steady. Expect to see Wrencer, Spoby, Travanna, Haleb, Jakria, Ezria, and Paily. There's a lot to explore, and I'm really excited!**


End file.
